


flutter all through the night (you caught my eye)

by goldflower



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, also nervous!harry, brace face!niall, forced marriage au, kind of, like really slight there's only mentions of stuff about it and it's not that obvious, niall's just pissy but then not, niall's nervous too eh, slight femme!harry, they're kind of awkward idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 16:49:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1175463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldflower/pseuds/goldflower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>niall's parents are forcing him to marry someone he hasn't met yet. when they meet he doesn't mind the arrangement all that much</p>
            </blockquote>





	flutter all through the night (you caught my eye)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goodmorningbeloved](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodmorningbeloved/gifts).



> ahh! okay, i feel kinda like a nerd, but i asked for prompts and a forced marriage au was one of them! thanks to the lovely leitmotifs for asking for it and it's so strange!!! she's one of my fav writers and she actually sent me a prompt! whew, anyway the prompt was vague so i don't know *exactly* what she wanted but this is what came to mind and i hope she likes it! 
> 
> i hope all of you cuties like it too!!! 
> 
> (ps the title is from two different songs from owl city *i think*, sorry, i was listening to an 8tracks playlist and didn't catch the titles, just those lyrics)

✿

Niall’s parents tell him just as he sits down for breakfast the horrible news.

“I’m what!” He shouts, nearly spitting his mouthful of Cheerio’s everywhere. Some milk ends up dribbling down his chin though and he lazily wipes at it, expression of pure shock never faltering. 

“Sweetie, don’t talk with your mouth full. You’re marrying that Styles boy because their family has money and there's nothing wrong with marrying into it.” His mother tells him while sipping at her morning cup of tea. It doesn’t make any sense to him, it’s not like they live in the 1800’s or whenever else they did stuff like this. It’s the twenty first century for crying out loud! It doesn’t help that both his parents are acting so nonchalant about it.

“No I’m not.” Niall says defiantly and his mother just looks at him from the corner of her eye.

“Yes you are, and that’s final.” She says and he sulks into his bowl. There’s no use talking her out of it, her decisions made and there’s no way Niall can change that.

Unless the Styles’ family backs out or something.

Like, think about it.

Niall’s family is in this one hundred percent and right now his parents are talking about the dinner that’s happening tonight to hopefully make it be set in stone that he’s marrying whatshisface Styles, so if he totally tanks the dinner, then he doesn’t have to get married at eighteen years old (not to mention while he still has braces).

He smiles down into his bowl of almost soggy Cheerio’s at his brilliant plan.

✿✿

Well Niall wasn’t actually counting on the person he’s to be married to to actually end up being  _hot_. Like honestly, why didn’t his parents mention that first off? The kid is seriously so pretty it’s unreal, he’s unreal, Niall's sure of it.

He’s kind of just watching from around the corner as his parents let them in and introduce themselves before they finally call him over and, god, he’s in _sweatpants_  and a dirty shirt that has coffee stains and-- _other_ stains, no, he’s not walking over. The boy looks over too and Niall lets out a little yell at the almost-eye-contact before running back to his room with a, “I’ll be down in a bit!” thrown over his shoulder.

Niall wasn’t expecting this.

He was so ready for mucking up the whole thing but now that he knows what the guy looks like he doesn’t want to. He wants to impress him and make him laugh and blush and he also very much wants to hold his hand. Yeah, hold his hand,  _oh god._

Niall wasn’t expecting this.

He rushes to change clothes, hell he even showers because he certainly didn't this morning before finally heading back downstairs about twenty minutes later. Everyone’s already shown up it seems and was waiting on him and that whole idea makes him blush over the guilt he feels for holding up his family and the Styles’ family too.

But then he catches sight of Harry—he’s so pretty, oh god, oh god, _help_ him—quietly and _daintily_ sipping at the glass of Champaign his parents no doubt handed him while smiling fondly over Niall’s little cousins playing with the teddy bear’s they brought from home. He’s so cute, Niall thinks as he starts to head over to him and the closer he gets the clearer the faint shade of pink nail polish on Harry’s finger nails is. It sends Niall’s head reeling.

“Hi.” Niall says when they’re finally close enough and when they make eye contact for the first time, Niall feels breathless.

“Hi.” He says back and the itch Niall feels to press his palm against Harry’s chest to feel the vibrations of his honey-like voice rumbling around is almost too much. “You’re Niall, right?” Harry asks and the amount of nonchalance carried with him makes Niall feel kind of lame in comparison.

“Yeah, yeah I’m—you’re Harry?” Niall says and Harry nods before his eyes widen a bit.

“You have braces!” Harry says happily and Niall squeezes his lips together tightly. “No, no, no, don’t do that! I’m sorry, it’s just I find guys with braces to be really cute and sweet and it’s really lame, I know, just.” Harry sighs and looks Niall back in the eyes. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Niall starts to say but then one of Harry’s aunts comes over and interrupts them, fawning over how much baby-fat is still on Niall’s cheeks. It’s embarrassing and he looks over to Harry for help, who just smiles and shrugs before quietly stepping away.

Bastard.

✿✿✿

Ever since Harry said anything about them, Niall's been self conciously running his tongue over the metal covering his teeth. He's never thought them to be attractive, but Harry's words made him wonder.

He's really running his tongue along his braces when he turns the corner into the kitchen and sees Harry bent over and looking into the fridge for something.

"Need help?" He asks, faint smile gracing his lips. A little chuckle escapes past his lips at the deer-caught-in-headlights look Harry gives him.

"Uh, yeah, that'd be nice. Sodas?" Harry asks, eyebrows raised and Niall smirks before heading for the pantry.

"We didn't have enough room in our fridge, so, here you are." Niall says, voice strained as he drags out four boxes of four different sodas. 

"Ace." Harry mumbles, foot coming out to tap at the case of Root Beer. Niall starts pulling at the cardboard and rips it, successfully getting out a can for Harry, who stares down at the can in his hand before looking back at Niall. "This whole thing is odd, yeah?"

Niall tries to ignore the tugging feeling in his chest and the slight tinge of disappointment he feels. "Yeah, odd."

"I mean, you're wonderful--er, yeah, wonderful, and gosh when I see your cheeks I think of stars and your lips remind me of petals and I'm so lame, I'm sorry." Harry says and Niall's already so fond of Harry's ramblings. They're sweet and make him feel all giddy and childlike.

"To be honest when you smile and those little dimples show up, I kind of want to take a nap in them." Niall says with a laugh and the relieved smile Harry gives him is worth the embarrassing confession. His hands twitch with the urge to hold Harry's hand, and he goes to, but then Harry's mom comes in frantic, looking for them both.

"Oh! Thank goodness there you both are. Come on now, we're gonna take pictures." She says reaching for both of their hands and Niall spares one last smile to Harry before following her out.

✿✿✿✿

It’s when Niall’s standing in the garden watching the sun set as people slowly start to head out when they finally get some time alone. Alone being the key word here, there were more encounters between the two, but it was always interrupted and they barely had time to actually  _talk_ to each other. Niall's not too sad about it, they were all cute (mostly because it was Harry he was talking to).

At first Niall didn’t know it was him, but after he felt someone graze a finger slowly down along his hand, he looks over and sees its Harry. And he blushes.

Like, full on blushes, he feels how incredibly hot his cheeks are against the cool wind and his heart is beating really fast and hard and feeling it in his cheeks too and everything before finally looking back at the sun. They don’t say anything, but he reaches out a finger and runs it along one of Harry’s as a way to let him know to not leave.

“Wow.” Harry says when the sun finally sets and it’s completely dark around them, save for the lights from the house.

“Yeah.” Niall mumbles because he _knows_ , he gets the whole breathtaking amazement that comes with watching the sun set, it’s why he always checks what time it sets each day before quietly heading out to the garden to watch. Usually he’s alone, but he thinks he may prefer it better with Harry beside him, slightly touching fingers to let the other know they’re still there.

Suddenly, they’re extremely close and Niall can feel the heat from Harry’s body and the difference in temperatures compared to the night air around them and it sends goosebumps shooting up Niall’s skin.

“Your garden’s lovely.” Harry says and Niall sees the way he closes his eyes and winces in embarrassment and finally it all comes together. Harry’s trying to impress him. Like, actually trying and that's why he ended up going off on tangents about the freckles on Niall's skin or the drapes in their dining room each time they talked.

It all makes sense and it gives Niall this whole new wave of encouragement and he laces their fingers together and whispers, “Not as lovely as you,” while watching Harry’s hand squeeze his.

When Niall looks back up at Harry's face and seeing the shy smile there, he thinks that some people want to be flowers, but flowers want to be Harry.

✿✿✿✿✿

About an hour later Harry and his family start to head out. They’re the last ones at Niall’s house, so they all go to show them out. When Harry has all of his things he reaches out and holds onto Niall’s hand (they’ve pretty much never stopped since the garden) behind their backs.

For some reason Harry wanted to keep it a secret from their parents. Niall wasn’t sure why and he called Harry a weirdo before he clarified he wanted to surprise them that they actually were okay with it now. Niall thought it was a cool idea.

“We had such a lovely time!” Harry’s mom says, looking back at Niall’s mom while still walking towards the door.

“I’m so glad you did!” Niall’s mom replies with and that’s basically how it goes on. One saying how lovely it was to blah blah blah and the other agreeing and making more plans for more get-togethers because it all seems promising and what not. They finally turn to Niall and Harry who are lingering further back from the rest.

“I’ll see you soon.” Harry mumbles into Niall’s hair and Niall closes his eyes, breathes in the smell of something sweet and sugary from Harry before he presses a soft kiss to Niall's cheek. Butterflies set off in Niall’s stomach with the smile Harry gives him and the soft cooing heard from their parents watching them. God, he’s embarrassing when he has a crush.

When the door finally closes with Harry and his parents on the other side of it, Niall’s parents let out a relieved sigh and pats him on the shoulder for the ‘job well done’ as he lets out a dreamy sigh, fingers softly touching the place Harry’s lips did.

This whole marriage thing isn’t a bad idea after all.

✿✿✿✿✿✿

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr's tomlinarry!! follow if you like!!!


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